Index-sheet



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INDEX SHEET.

No. 547,056. Patented Oct. 1, 1895.

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J. H. ANDERSON;

INDEX SHEET N0.'547,056. Patented Oct. 1,1895.

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.IVNDBXVSHIBBT. No. 547,056. Patented Oct. 1, 1895'.

llrrn rnrns JOHN H. ANDERSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

lN DEX- SH EET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 547,056, dated October 1, 1895. Application filed February 11, 1895. Serial No. 537,977- (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, J OHN H. ANDERSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ohicago, in the countyof Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Index-Sheets, of which the following is a specification.

In carrying out my invention I provide an index-sheet which can be employed by the user for any desired name or subject-matter, and which can be supplied in duplicate up to any desired number, whereby the user can purchase as many as he may elect, and from the stock thus acquired put into use as few or as many as may be required ei ther at once or from time to time.

The index-sheet can be ruled for ledgeraccounts or for other subject-matter, or the ruling can be dispensed with where said sheet is employedin letteror bill files. This indexsheet is provided with a plurality of series of alphabetic characters arranged along its marginal portion and relatively disposed to permit the user to make a plurality of cut-aways of such length as shall give prominence to the letters required for indicating the name or subjectmatter. By such arrangement the user can, for example, open an account upon any one of these index-sheets and then trim the sheet with reference to certain letters of the partys name, whatsoever it may be. As the sheets are thus brought into use, they can be arranged in order in any suitable case or holder, and when employed for ledger-accounts the sheets upon which accounts have been balanced can be removed and filed away. This arrangement effects great saving in time-in keeping accounts, since in place of first finding a name in the index in one portion of a book and then finding the account in another portion of the book, as is usual, I provide for an index and account upon one and the same sheet. The time commonly occupied in the transferring of accounts and balances is also greatly reduced by employing my invention. I also provide a simple and efficient arrangement whereby any particular name in a series of my improved index-sheets can be found without examining more than the sheet upon which such name is written, or, in other words, the set or series can be at once opened at a point to expose the desired sheet.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 represents an index-sheet embodying my invention. Fig. 2 shows the top portion of said sheet having a slightly different form. Fig.-

3 shows the index-sheet having certain marginal portions cut away with reference to a name written upon the sheet. Fig. 4: shows, in perspective, a collection of the index-sheets arranged within a convenient construction of holder and understood to have their certain portions cut away with reference to names written upon the sheets.

The index-sheet A (illustrated in Fig. 1) is provided along its upper marginal portion with two series B and O of alphabetical characters arranged to run parallel with the edge of the sheet. These two series are also arranged in different parallel lines, and, as a matter of further arrangement, one series succeeds the other in position relatively to the width of the sheet, whereby a cut-away which will remove any of the letters of one series need not remove any of the letters of the remainin g series. The sheet is also provided with a series D of alphabetic characters arranged along the marginal portion of one of its side edges, and, if preferred,it may have a similar series E of alphabetic characters arranged along the opposite marginal portion. The index-sheet shown is ruled for a ledger-account; but for other matters the amount-columns can be dispensed with, and where the sheet is employed in a letter or bill file all of the ruling can be omitted.

These index-sheets can be prepared in large numbers, and since they are all prepared alike the cost will be comparatively light.

Fig. 3 illustrates the way in which the user will trim down certain marginal portions of the sheet, so as to provide it with cutaways with reference to a desired name. For example, if an account is to be opened with one John Abel, the user will write the same on the name-line F, and will cut away the upper marginal portion above the series 0 and extend the cut up to the letter A in series A, thereby providing the sheet with the cutaway 1. In like manner the user will further cut away the marginal portion containing series O up to the letter b, therebyproviding a second cutaway 2. The cutaway 1 therefore leaves theletter A as an index-letterdenoting the first letter of the surname, while the cutaway 2 will leave the letter b as an indexletter denoting the second letter of the name in question. This method or system can be extended by cutting away the marginal portion containing series D up to theletter e, so as to provide a third cutaway 3, leaving said letter as an index of the third letter of the foregoingmentioned name, and where a fourth series E is employed the marginal portion containing the same can be cut away to an extent to providea fourth cutaway 4, which shall leave theletter J as an index to the first letter of the given name John. From the foregoing it will be understood that the user can in like manner trim other sheets with reference to other names and thereby provide them with cutaways which shall leave the proper letters.

Fig. 4 shows a holder fora package of these sheets. Said holder consists of a case G, having a hinged front portion 9 and a hinged back portion g. This case can be opened, as illustrated, and to support it in a conveniently-inclined position any suitable device for maintaining the back portion g in the inclined position can be employed-for example, pivoted catch H.

In Fig. 4 the index-sheet at the front has its marginal portion at the top, the right and the left cut away with reference to the name of Robert Abby. The remaining sheets are understood to have been trimmed so as to provide cutaways with reference to other names. In further illustration of the use of these index-sheets, suppose the user desires to find among a series of such sheets the one bearing the name of John Black, and that preceding the sheet bearing such name there should be other sheets bearing names commencing with the letter B. In such case if the package or series of sheets be opened at apoint to expose the first of the several sheets having a cutaway made with reference to letter B in series B, this will also expose a succeeding sheet having a cutaway made with reference to the letter l in series 0. The package can then be opened to expose said succeeding sheet, and if the sheet ultimately desired is preceded by one or more sheets bearing names having Bl as the first two letters thereof the sheet sought after will be one first exposing the letter a in series D, and where a large number of names are involved the method can be pursued by the final selection of a sheet not only having cutaways with reference to the letters Bla, but also with reference to the letter J in the fourth series E. It will therefore be seen that the set of sheets may comprise a sub-set having cutaways made with reference to corresponding letters in two or more of the series B, C, D, and E, and that notwithstanding such correspondence the ultimately-desired sheet can be readily found. Each series of alphabetic characters preferably comprises the full alphabet, although, for example, the series 2 and 3 could comprise simple vowels or consonants. For some purposes-for example, letter-filesthe series B and C will be serviceable without the remaining series, or, on the other hand, the employment of the series B, O, and D will be of particular service without the fourth series E, it being further understood that the employment of said series E for the first letter of a given name is a further improvement upon the arrangement involving the series B, O, and D for letter of surname. It is also understood that these index-sheets can be employed for any other desired subject-matter, and also that, if desired, a suitable number of sheets, such as shown in Fig. 1, can be bound or secured together in book form, in which case, of course, the series E must be omitted, since the sheet could not be subsequently cut away along its marginal portion containing such series. A great advantage, however, resides in the fact that since the sheets are all prepared alike they can be prepared at comparatively small cost, and hence sold at a correspondingly reasonable figure, and that the user may place in the pack or set only such sheets as he may have provided with names and cutaways made with reference to such names, and that other sheets can from time to time be added, as required.

The sheets can be each provided with lines at, 5, 6, and 7, indicating the lines along which the cuts are to be made, and, if desired, the

top marginal portion of the sheet can be primarily formed, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

For certain minor purposes the sheet could be primarily provided with cutaways made with reference to the certain known names or subjects; but for general use the infinite number of combinations would require such a vast number of sheets primarily provided with cutaways as to render such arrangement an impracticable matter.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. An index sheet provided with two series of alphabetic characters arranged along one of its marginal portions, said series of alphabetic characters being arranged along different lines, and one being arranged to succeed the other, so that a cutaway can be made up to any letter in either series without removing the letters in the other series, substantially as described.

2. An index sheet provided with a series B of alphabetic characters and a like series 0 of alphabetic characters, both arranged along its top marginal portion, said two series being arranged on different lines and one being arranged to succeed the,other, substantially as described.

3. A combined index and account sheet IIO ruled with dollar and cents columns and provided with a plurality of marginally arranged series of alphabetic characters relatively positioned to permit a cutaway to be made in any one series without removing the letters in the remaining series, two of said series being arranged upon the same margin with one succeeding and spaced below the other, snhstantially as and for the purpose described.

. JOHN H. ANDERSON. Witnesses:

ARTHUR F. DURAND, BETA M. WAGNER. 

